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Psychosocial risk factors for poor health show that we are highly sensitive to particular dimensions of the social and work environments. Central is the contrast between mutually supportive collaborative relationships versus stressful relationships of social dominance - in the workplace and at home. These social ordeals can exacerbate the effect of environmental pressures and risks (noise, pollution, disruptions). Helping the individual learner to identify and work collaboratively with the salient issues is difficult, especially in the classroom where issues may be too personally experienced. A dynamic, interactive e-learning environment, on the other hand, offers more scope for exploring issues at a safe distance, while promoting individual and group enquiry and the formation of intellectual relationships. However, it is argued here that a new approach to e-learning is needed, to afford the kinds of experiences necessary for learning about complex and sensitive issues.

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